Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl Shorts Are Getting A 4-Night Rollout On Netflix

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September 12, 2023

Later this month, Netflix will release the first of Wes Anderson’s four Roald Dahl shorts, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. Following the film’s world premiere at Venice, we’re now learning how Netflix plans to debut the entire anthology, and it’s not as one might expect.

In a new post on Netflix’s TUDUM site, it was revealed that Netflix will release each of Anderson’s four shorts as part of a four-night event beginning with The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar on September 27th.

The remaining shorts are The Swan on September 28th, The Ratcatcher on September 29th, and Poison on September 30th.

Ralph Fiennes, Rupert Friend, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Richard Ayoade, and Ben Kingsley will star in each of the films playing multiple characters, in true Wes Anderson fashion.

“I like the idea, right off the bat, of having a little company play the whole film,” Anderson said. “They took it and did it. You hand it to them, and then you step back and watch.”

Here’s a breakdown of each film below.

“The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”
Logline: A beloved Roald Dahl short story about a rich man who learns about a guru who can see without using his eyes and then sets out to master the skill in order to cheat at gambling.
Cast: Ralph Fiennes (Roald Dahl, Policeman), Benedict Cumberbatch (Henry Sugar, Max Engelman), Dev Patel (Dr. Chatterjee, John Winston), Ben Kingsley (Imdad Khan, Croupier), Richard Ayoade (Dr. Marshall, Yogi)
Runtime: 39 minutes

“The Swan”
Logline: A young adult Roald Dahl short story about a small/brilliant boy ruthlessly pursued by two large/idiotic bullies.
Cast: Rupert Friend (Narrator), Ralph Fiennes (Roald Dahl), Asa Jennings (Peter Watson)
Runtime: 17 minutes

“The Ratcatcher”
Logline: A lesser-known Roald Dahl short story about a professional rodent exterminator.
Cast: Richard Ayoade (Editor/Reporter), Ralph Fiennes (Rat Man), Rupert Friend (Claud)
Runtime: 17 minutes

“Poison”
Logline: A well-known Roald Dahl short story about a man who discovers a poisonous snake asleep in his bed.
Cast: Dev Patel (Woods), Benedict Cumberbatch (Harry), Ralph Fiennes (Roald Dahl), Ben Kingsley (Dr. Ganderbai)
Runtime: 17 minutes

‘The Fall Of The House Of Usher’ Trailer: Mike Flanagan Taps Into The Works Of Edgar Allan Poe In New Horror Series For Netflix

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Travis Hopson

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September 12, 2023

Just in time for Halloween, Mike Flanagan is back with another horror series headed straight to Netflix. The Fall of the House of Usher is based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, so you know it’s going to be creepy as shit.

Here’s the synopsis: From Mike Flanagan, the creator of The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, a wicked horror series based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Ruthless siblings Roderick and Madeline Usher have built Fortunato Pharmaceuticals into an empire of wealth, privilege and power. But past secrets come to light when the heirs to the Usher dynasty start dying at the hands of a mysterious woman from their youth.

The series stars Bruce Greenwood, Carla Gugino, Mary McDonnell, Carl Lumbly, Mark Hamill, Michael Trucco, T’Nia Miller, Paola Nuñez, Henry Thomas, Kyleigh Curran, Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli, Kate Siegel, Sauriyan Sapkota, Zach Gilford, Willa Fitzgerald, Katie Parker, Malcolm Goodwin, Crystal Balint, Aya Furukawa, Daniel Jun, Matt Biedel, Ruth Codd, Annabeth Gish, Igby Rigney, and Robert Longstreet.

The Fall of the House of Usher hits Netflix on October 12th.

DC Readers: Attend A Free Early Screening Of ‘Dumb Money’

By

Travis Hopson

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September 12, 2023

We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend a free early screening of Dumb Money, based on the insane true story of the GameStop stock frenzy. The film stars Paul Dano,Pete Davidson, Vincent D’Onofrio, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Sebastian Stan, Shailene Woodley and Seth Rogen, and is directed by Craig Gillespie.

SYNOPSIS: Dumb Money is the ultimate David vs. Goliath tale, based on the insane true story of everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning GameStop (yes, the mall videogame store) into the world’s hottest company. In the middle of everything is regular guy Keith Gill (Paul Dano), who starts it all by sinking his life savings into the stock and posting about it. When his social posts start blowing up, so does his life and the lives of everyone following him. As a stock tip becomes a movement, everyone gets rich – until the billionaires fight back, and both sides find their worlds turned upside down.

The screening takes place on Thursday, September 14th at 7:00pm at Landmark E Street. If you’d like to attend, RSVP at the Sony Pictures site here. Please remember all screenings are first come first served and you’ll need to arrive early to ensure seating. Enjoy the show!

Dumb Money opens in theaters on September 15th.

‘Pet Sematary: Bloodlines’ Trailer Reveals Stephen King’s Hair-Raising Prequel Set For Paramount+

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Travis Hopson

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September 12, 2023

Stephen King’s scariest franchise, Pet Sematary, has dropped a debut trailer for the upcoming Paramount+ film, Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, which serves as a prequel to the 1983 horror novel that has been adapted twice in 1989 and 2019. Fans of King can look for it to hit the streamer just in time for Halloween on October 6th, preceded by the world premiere at Fantastic Fest!

The R-rated film marks the directorial debut of Chaos Walking writer Lindsey Beer, and takes us back to the fictional town of Ludlow, Maine. Set in 1969, the story centers on a young Jud Crandall, played by Jackson White, who has dreams of leaving his hometown behind until he unearths sinister secrets and an evil presence buried within the town’s dark past. Joining with his childhood friends, Jud must battle this terrible force that has haunted Ludlow since its founding.

Joining White in the cast are Henry Thomas, David Duchovny, Pam Grier, Forrest Goodluck, Isabella Star LaBlanc, and Natalie Alyn Lind. Beer directed and co-wrote the script with Jeff Buhler.

Here’s the synopsis: In 1969, a young Jud Crandall has dreams of leaving his hometown of Ludlow, Maine behind, but soon discovers sinister secrets buried within and is forced to confront a dark family history that will forever keep him connected to Ludlow. Banding together, Jud and his childhood friends must fight an ancient evil that has gripped Ludlow since its founding, and once unearthed has the power to destroy everything in its path. Based on the untold chapter from Pet Sematary, Stephen King’s chilling novel, PET SEMATARY: BLOODLINES is a terrifying prequel and the story of why sometimes dead is better…

Check out the photos from Pet Sematary: Bloodlines below, and watch the dead come back to life on Paramount+ on October 6th.

‘Totally Killer’ Trailer: Kiernan Shipka Takes On The ’80s And A Serial Killer In Blumhouse’s Time Travel Slasher Comedy

By

Travis Hopson

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September 12, 2023

The partnership between Amazon Prime Video and Blumhouse, which has already given us the Welcome to the Blumhouse anthology, continues with teen time travel slasher-comedy Totally Killer. Before the film arrives on October 6th and while we wait for a trailer, Prime Video has dropped some first-look images featuring stars Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt, Julie Bowen, and Randall Park.

Shipka stars as a 17-year-old who finds herself accidentally traveling back in time to 1987, the year of the original killings by the “Sweet Sixteen Killer”, who has just arrived in the present day to kill again.

The whole tone of the trailer is exactly as I hoped, which is a mix of Final Girls and Happy Death Day. Shipka should be right at home having spent years balancing humor and horror in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Behind the camera is Always Be My Maybe director Nahnatchka Khan, reuniting with Park on this one. The script is by Jen D’Angelo, David Matalon, and Sasha Perl-Raver.

Also in the cast are Charlie Gillespie, Lochlyn Munro, Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson, Liana Liberato, Kelcey Mawema, Anna Diaz, Stephi Chin-Salvo, Ella Choi, Jeremy Monn-Djasgnar, Nathaniel Appiah, and Jonathan Potts.

Synopsis: Thirty-five years after the shocking murder of three teens, the infamous “Sweet Sixteen Killer“ returns on Halloween night to claim a fourth victim. Seventeen-year-old Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) ignores her overprotective mom’s (Julie Bowen) warning and comes face-to-face with the masked maniac and, on the run for her life, accidentally time travels back to 1987, the year of the original killings. Forced to navigate the unfamiliar and outrageous culture of the 1980s, Jamie teams up with her teen mom (Olivia Holt) to take down the killer once and for all, before she’s stuck in the past forever.

Bad Bunny Confirms His Exit From Sony’s ‘El Muerto’ Spider-Man Spinoff

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Travis Hopson

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September 12, 2023

Fans of Bad Bunny who were eager to see their favorite rapper and international superstar lead Sony’s El Muerto Spider-Man spinoff are about to be very disappointed. Last summer we learned the wrestling-themed superhero movie had been pulled from the release schedule. And as expected, word has come from Bad Bunny himself that he’s no longer involved with the movie.

Speaking in a Vanity Fair piece alongside his publicist, Sujeylee Solá, Bad Bunny (aka Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) is quiet when asked about the film that was reportedly a dream role of his to star in. Here’s the awkward exchange…

“He hesitates. An awkward silence ripples across the table,” the site’s piece reads. “‘Next question,’ asserts Solá, who’s seated at an adjacent booth. ‘I don’t know what to say,’ Martínez replies, calling the issue ‘delicate.’ Solá sharpens the point. ‘Obviously, it’s out,’ she says of the film.”

El Muerto, which had a January 12th 2024 release date, centered on the titular super-powered Luchadore who wrestled Spider-Man before teaming with him to face a larger threat.

Movement on the film had come to a halt due to the WGA strike, and with the release so close it’s unsurprising to hear that Bad Bunny is no longer involved, but it is definitely disappointing. After starring opposite Brad Pitt in Bullet Train last year, Bad Bunny doesn’t sound too interested in doing more action movies…

“As a movie consumer myself, I’m not one to watch a lot of action movies. I’d even say it’s my least favorite genre,” Bad Bunny says.

“I would really like to play other kinds of things, like a little bit more drama, romance too, or comedy…[maybe] a history movie with a little action in it.”

‘Oh, Canada’: Paul Schrader’s Next Film To Star Richard Gere And Jacob Elordi

By

Travis Hopson

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September 11, 2023

Paul Schrader is on the roll of his career, which is saying something given his accomplishments and longevity in Hollywood. His recent loose-knit trilogy of First Reformed, The Card Counter, and Master Gardener show that Schrader is still at the top of his game. And now he’s working on something new, a film titled Oh, Canada, that has two big leads attached.

According to one of Schrader’s recent Facebook posts, Oh, Canada is set to star Richard Gere and Euphoria actor Jacob Elordi. The film has been talked about for quite a while, and is based on Russell Banks’ book, Foregone. Banks just happens to be a good friend of Schrader’s, so this all works out.

Here’s a synopsis of the novel: At the center of Foregone is famed Canadian American leftist documentary filmmaker Leonard Fife, one of sixty thousand draft evaders and deserters who fled to Canada to avoid serving in Vietnam. Fife, now in his late seventies, is dying of cancer in Montreal and has agreed to a final interview in which he is determined to bare all his secrets at last, to demythologize his mythologized life. The interview is filmed by his acolyte and ex–star student, Malcolm MacLeod, in the presence of Fife’s wife and alongside Malcolm’s producer, cinematographer, and sound technician, all of whom have long admired Fife but who must now absorb the meaning of his astonishing, dark confession.

Hmmm…Schrader making a bit of a meta statement here? There do seem to be some similarities with his own life, health issues, and career. It should be obvious where Gere and Elordi slot into this, also.

Hopefully, we’ll learn more soon about Oh, Canada and when we can expect to see it.

First ‘Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom’ Footage Has Jason Momoa Back As King Of The Sea

By

Travis Hopson

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September 11, 2023

I guess somebody reminded Warner Bros. execs that they still have one final DCEU movie to go and they better start telling people about it. A teaser for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrived yesterday, giving us our first actual footage of Jason Momoa in the anticipated sequel to James Wan’s $1B hit from 2018.

Fortunately, fans won’t have to wait long for more as the full trailer drops in just four days.

The sequel, once again directed by Wan, finds Arthur Curry aka Aquaman teaming with his defeated brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) to defeat the might of Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who is back for revenge.

Also in the cast are Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Temuera Morrison, Randall Park, and Dolph Lundgren.

Here’s the synopsis: Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom opens on December 20th.

‘The End We Start From’ Teaser: Jodie Comer Flees An Apocalyptic Disaster In New Survival Film Coming In December

By

Travis Hopson

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September 11, 2023

Over the weekend, TIFF hosted the world premiere of The End We Start From, one of the festival’s most anticipated films. And for good reason considering the apocalyptic thriller’s cast is led by Jodie Comer, whose meteoric rise doesn’t appear to be stopping any time soon, and Benedict Cumberbatch, who also serves as an exec-producer.

Comer plays a new mother who flees her London home with her infant and heads north after a cataclysmic ecological disaster. The film also stars Joel Fry, Katherine Waterston, Mark Strong, Nina Sosanya, and Gina McKee.

Mahalia Belo directs from an Alice Birch screenplay adapted from Megan Hunter’s novel. The debut teaser doesn’t reveal much but it suggests a sensitive, humanistic approach to a harrowing survival tale.

The End We Start From will open in theaters on December 8th.

Here’s the synopsis: An apocalyptic drama that still makes room for hope, The End We Start From uses the language of genre to ask the only question that matters about our increasingly bleak future: What will you do? And why aren’t you doing it already? The End We Start From is ultimately a cautionary tale, its characters moving episodically through various strata of social collapse.

Review: “My Animal”
Amandla Stenberg Stars In A Coming Of Age Queer Werewolf Drama With Bite

By
Jake Sokolsky
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Being a teenager can be hard enough, but that notion gets taken to a whole new level in My Animal. Heather (Bobbi Salvör Menuez) has always felt misunderstood, like an outcast. Living on the outskirts of a small town certainly does not help her feelings of loneliness. An isolated teenager in an isolated town is a recipe for trouble, and that’s before adding a family secret to the mix. Surrounding every full moon, Heather turns into a wolf. This has taken a toll on her family throughout the years, but they have managed to get by.

Heather’s father Henry (Stephen McHattie) is as caring and compassionate as ever. He is the glue holding the family together. Heather’s mother Patti (Hedi von Palleske) has not fared as well. She has slipped into alcoholism and Heather finds herself taking care of her mother more than the other way around. Heather’s two baby brothers Cooper (Charles Halpenny) and Hardy (Harrison Halpenny) share a passion for hockey and the siblings bond over it.

At the rink is where Heather meets Jonny (Amandla Stenberg). Jonny is a figure skater trapped in an abusive relationship. Jonny and Heather instantly gravitate towards each other as they find comfort in one another. As their relationship progresses, external and internal pressures mount. Relationships are difficult to manage without the looming worry of having to tell you partner you’re a werewolf. One second Heather has it all, and in the blink of an eye – nothing. She isn’t one to give up without a fight though.

Jacqueline Castel directed My Animal while Jae Matthews wrote the script. The film is the feature length debut for both Castel and Matthews, and an impressive debut at that. Many films have taken a stab at the werewolf story, but My Animal explores it from a distinct perspective. Castel and Matthews approach the tale through the lens of family and growth. How this type of ailment would affect a teenager struggling to fit in. What it would do to their family as well. The level of responsibility thrust upon a teenager in those rebellious years where kids just want to have fun is almost unfathomable. Heather didn’t choose this, but she must live with it. This powerful dynamic is rarely explored with films in this genre and My Animal provides a refreshing take.

Every detail throughout My Animal seemed to flow together cohesively. Castel’s use of lighting and shots tell a story in and of itself. Isolating images, erratic angles, disjointed shots – all mirroring the unease within the characters. Castel cleverly employs these elements along with distorted light and sound to show Heather’s transformation. We don’t need to see it happen to experience it. It’s okay to leave things to the imagination and Castel and Matthews excel at that aspect.

Menuez and Stenberg deliver strong performances and perfectly capture that teenage angst. Even during the highest of highs, there always seems to be a level of emptiness and sadness. My Animal doesn’t feature the typical thrills and gore seen in a werewolf film, focusing on the people. Those going into the viewing expecting a typical creature feature will be disappointed. My Animal is a powerful drama of experiences and growth within the world of werewolves. It is a coming-of-age story at its heart, only one where the stakes are raised. The performances, uniqueness, and camerawork certainly make My Animal worth a watch.

My Animal is available in theaters and digital now.